Russia is not looking to end its war in Ukraine by Victory Day on May 9, its foreign minister said, as the country was set to mark the key anniversary amidst the ongoing conflicts.
Speaking with the Italian outlet Mediaset, the minister, Sergei Lavrov, insisted Moscow would not rush to wrap up its “special military operation” in time for the anniversary, which celebrates Nazi Germany’s surrender to allied forces, including the then Soviet Union, in 1945.
“Our military will not artificially adjust their actions to any date, including Victory Day,” Lavrov said in the interview released on Sunday.
“The pace of the operation in Ukraine depends, first of all, on the need to minimise any risks for the civilian population and Russian military personnel,” he added.
Russia typically often marked Victory Day in grand style, with a large military parade in central Moscow and a speech by President Vladimir Putin hailing the country’s leading role in the defeat of fascism in Europe.
But this year’s celebrations would come against the backdrop of Moscow’s bloody military campaign in Ukraine, which Putin had justified with claims that the ex-Soviet country required “denazification” and other allusions to World War II.
“We will solemnly celebrate May 9, as we always do. Remember those who fell for the liberation of Russia and other republics of the former USSR, for the liberation of Europe from the Nazi plague,” Lavrov said.
Thousands of civilians had been killed and millions displaced by Russia’s invasion, which began on February 24.
Moscow had said that over a thousand of its soldiers had been killed in the operation. Ukraine, however, claimed Russia’s losses were much higher.
